About PDF Portfolios

A PDF Portfolio contains multiple
files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF
Portfolio can be in a wide range of file types created
in different applications. For example, a PDF Portfolio can
include text documents, email messages, spreadsheets, CAD drawings,
and PowerPoint presentations. The original files retain their individual
identities but are assembled into one PDF Portfolio file.
You can open, read, edit, and format each component file independently
of the other component files in the PDF Portfolio.

Add or remove files easily, without having to find and select
all the pages that originated in that file.

Previewing

Quickly preview component files without having to open them
in their native applications.

Editing

Change individual files within the PDF Portfolio without
affecting the other files. For example, you can renumber pages in
one document without renumbering other documents in the PDF
Portfolio. You can also edit non-PDF files in their
native applications from within a PDF Portfolio.
Any changes you make are saved to the file within the PDF
Portfolio.

Distribution

Share a PDF Portfolio with others
and be sure that they are getting all the component parts. Publish
a PDF Portfolio on a website for others to
view.

Sorting

Sort component files by categories that you can add to, delete,
hide, and customize. Simply click a column name to sort the list.

Reordering

Drag files to change their order. You can then define the
new order as the initial sort order—the order in which files appear
when someone opens the PDF Portfolio.

Printing

Print all the PDFs in a PDF Portfolio,
or selected component PDFs.

Searching

Search one or all files in a PDF Portfolio.
You can even search non-PDF component files.

Incorporating other formats

Add non-PDF files to an existing PDF Portfolio without
converting them to PDF.

Independence from source files

The source files of a PDF Portfolio—even existing
files you add to the PDF Portfolio—are not
changed when you create a PDF Portfolio.
Changes you make to the component files within a PDF
Portfolio do not change the original files from which
you created the PDF Portfolio. You can move
a PDF Portfolio anywhere on your computer
or network without any risk of losing or disconnecting its components.

The PDF Portfolio toolbar is
located immediately below the menu. Look here for PDF
Portfolio viewing options, a search tool, and buttons
for common tasks, such as printing and saving.

Cards represent each component file in the PDF
Portfolio. Click the Show Info View icon on
the card to view information about the file on the back of the card.

The mini-navigator is the row of cards across the
bottom of the PDF Portfolio window in Click-Through,
Linear, and Wave layouts. By default, the cards are displayed alphabetically.

The Layout and Details panes include options for customizing
the PDF Portfolio, viewing file details at
a glance, and sharing the PDF Portfolio with others.
In Details view, you can also change the sort order and open a file
in its native application (if installed on your computer).

Layout (Preview mode) shows the PDF Portfolio in
any of several views, depending on the design or type of file or
layout specified by the author. If the Layout pane on the right
is open, click the Preview button in the toolbar to switch from
Edit to Preview mode. For information about each type of preview, see Preview
modes.

Files mode shows the file details in a list. You can
click a column name to sort by ascending and descending order. To
return to the original view, click the Layout button.

A PDF
Portfolio is accessible when it opens in Files mode.
This mode provides a better reading experience for people with disabilities—such
as mobility impairments, blindness, and low vision. To open all PDF
Portfolios in Files mode, open the Preferences dialog
box by choosing Edit > Preferences (Windows). In Acrobat
Pro only, choose Acrobat > Preferences (Mac
OS). Under Categories, select Accessibility, and then
select Show Portfolios In Files Mode.

Edit mode opens the Layout pane, which allows you
to customize the appearance of the PDF Portfolio and
add or delete content. In addition, you can modify the file information,
reorder files, convert files to PDF, reduce file size, and show,
hide, and sort columns. If the Layout pane isn’t visible, click
the Edit button in the toolbar to switch from Preview to Edit mode.

PDF Portfolio window in Acrobat
Standard

In Acrobat
Standard, you preview PDF Portfolios,
and work with component files using various elements, such as toolbars
and windows.

The PDF Portfolio toolbar is
located immediately below the menu. Look here for PDF
Portfolio viewing options, a search tool, and buttons
for common tasks, such as printing and saving.

Cards represent each component file in the PDF
Portfolio. Click the Show Info View icon on
the card to view information about the file on the back of the card.

The mini-navigator is the row of cards across the
bottom of the PDF Portfolio window in Click-Through,
Linear, and Wave layouts. By default, the cards are displayed alphabetically.

Layout (Preview mode) shows the PDF Portfolio in
any of several views, depending on the design or type of file or
layout specified by the author. For information about each type
of preview, see Preview
modes.

Files mode shows the file details in a list. You can
click a column name to sort by ascending and descending order. To
return to the original view, click the Layout button.

A PDF
Portfolio is accessible when it opens in Files mode.
This mode provides a better reading experience for people with disabilities—such
as mobility impairments, blindness, and low vision. To open all PDF
Portfolios in Files mode, open the Preferences dialog
box by choosing Edit > Preferences (Windows). In Acrobat
Pro only, choose Acrobat > Preferences (Mac
OS). Under Categories, select Accessibility, and then
select Show Portfolios In Files Mode.

Scroll through component files

Depending on the layout, you can scroll through component
files in various ways. Some layouts include a mini-navigator, scroll
bar, or Next and Previous buttons.

Preview modes

You can preview the component files in several different
ways. In Preview mode, you can preview images and pages, play video
and SWF files, and view information about a file. You can extract
(move) a file to your computer. You can also open a file in its
native application (if installed on your computer). To return to
the original view, click the Layout button.

Viewing a <span class="uicontrol">PDF Portfolio</span> in different
Preview modes

The row of cards across the bottom of the PDF Portfolio window.
By default, the cards (component files) appear alphabetically. To
hide or show the
mini-navigator, click the double arrow below the card. In Preview
mode, the mini-navigator appears in Click-Through layout only. In
Edit mode, the mini-navigator appears in Wave and Linear layouts.

Card preview

A visual representation of each component file (piece of
content) added to a PDF Portfolio. A thumbnail
image, where possible, appears on the card. Metadata,
or details about the file, are available on the back of the thumbnail
image. Click the Information icon on
the card to view file details. Click the close button to return
to the thumbnail image. Cards also indicate whether a component
file is open in another application or being edited.

Full preview

A larger visual representation of the file, with other content
visible behind the preview. These file types open in Full preview
when you double-click the card: PDFs with no security added, Word
documents, and images. FLV files open in Full preview when you double-click
the card in the mini-navigator. Move the pointer over the bottom
of the file in Full preview to see a semi-transparent floating toolbar
with buttons to interact with the file. To return to the original view,
click the close button in the upper-right corner of the preview.

Platform preview

A full-size preview within the PDF Portfolio window.
The navigation pane appears so you have access to page thumbnails,
bookmarks, signatures, and layers. These file types open in Platform
preview when you double-click the card: SWF files and HTML files.
To open other file types in Platform preview, such as email portfolios,
form response files, and secured PDFs, choose View > Portfolio
> Preview File. To close Platform preview,
click the close button in the upper-left corner or press Esc.

Switch between Preview mode and
Edit mode

In Acrobat Pro, the button to switch
between Preview and Edit modes is a toggle button in the PDF
Portfolio toolbar.

In Acrobat Standard, right-click in the PDF
Portfolio window and choose Preview Portfolio or Edit
Portfolio.

Layouts (Acrobat Pro)

Layouts provide one way to unify a wide range of content
in a PDF Portfolio. When you create a PDF
Portfolio, you can choose from various layouts included with
Acrobat. If available, you can import and use a custom layout from
a developer or designer.

Note:

For best performance, use the Click-Through
or Linear layout when you have more than 15 component files. Grid,
Freeform, and Wave layouts take longer to load because they generate
all thumbnails before displaying the first card.

Acrobat includes the following layouts:

Click-Through

Allows you to click through a series of files. You can reorder
files, navigate through the files linearly, or find files in the
mini-navigator at the bottom of the window.

Freeform

Arranges files in a scattered placement of thumbnails. You
can rearrange the order and configuration of files.

Grid

Arranges files in an orderly grid that can scale to accommodate
numerous files.

Linear

Arranges files in a linear path and guides the user through
each file in the sequence. Descriptive text appears to the left
of the card.

Wave

Arranges files in a spinning path that fans out off the screen.

PDF Portfolios created in Acrobat
9 (Acrobat Pro)

PDF Portfolios created in Acrobat
9 can be opened in Acrobat XI and Reader XI. However, layouts, color
schemes, and other PDF Portfolio elements
differ significantly between Acrobat 9 and Acrobat XI. When you
open an Acrobat 9 PDF Portfolio in Acrobat
XI, the Acrobat 9 design appears as expected. Minor editing is allowed,
such as adding or deleting files, and editing filenames or descriptions. You
can save these changes in Acrobat 9 format. For extensive edits,
you can convert the PDF Portfolio to Acrobat
XI, if you’re using Acrobat XI Pro. The layout and colors convert
to Click-Through layout with the Clean visual theme. Welcome pages,
headers, and color palettes are removed. You can redo headers in
Acrobat XI, but Welcome pages are not supported.

Open a PDF Portfolio created in
Acrobat 9.

The PDF Portfolio opens
in Preview mode.

Do any of the following:

To edit filenames
in Layout view, click the filename and type. You cannot edit descriptions.

Adds document security to a PDF Portfolio or to component PDFs within a PDF Portfolio. To add security to component PDFs, choose File > Portfolio Properties and select the Security tab. For more information, see Securing documents with passwords. To add security to the entire PDF Portfolio, use the Cover Sheet (View > Portfolio > Cover Sheet). For example, you can use the Cover Sheet to sign the PDF Portfolio parent file, or add a password to open the PDF Portfolio. Functionality you specify in the Cover Sheet pertains to the entire collection of component files in the PDF Portfolio.

Note:

Other security features, including certificate security, are also available for PDF Portfolios and component files. For more information, see Choosing a security method for PDFs.